


What If This Storm Ends?

by mermaidforeachother



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, F/M, Final Battle, LadyNoir - Freeform, Romance, Someone help Nooroo, giftfic, no one dies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-04
Updated: 2016-08-04
Packaged: 2018-07-29 06:18:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7673311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mermaidforeachother/pseuds/mermaidforeachother
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Just for a minute<br/>The silver-forked sky<br/>Lit you up like a star<br/>That I will follow"</p><p>The final battle against Hawkmoth rages on; and so do our heroes' fears, doubts, worries, and...love?</p>
            </blockquote>





	What If This Storm Ends?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [midnightdrops](https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightdrops/gifts).



> Happy (slightly late) Birthday to my friend, Midnightdrops, who is always responsible for encouraging angst! ;)
> 
> Special thanks to my beta, Shinx, who never fails to make my messes readable! <3
> 
> Title and quote in the description is from The Lightning Strike(I) by The Snow Patrol, which is completely what inspired this fic. Give it a listen, it's somehow sad AND soothing! Please enjoy!

It’s the end. Finally. Three years of akuma attacks, three years of fighting, of getting thrown off of homes and French monuments alike, three years of being half of an ever-tireless superhero duo. Three years of working with Chat Noir.   
  
They still didn’t know who each other were.   
  
The skies were dark and stormy with twisted magic and black butterflies, ominous clouds churning sickly. Thunder crashed deafeningly overhead in a near constant barrage following the frequent flashes of lightning that lit the sky in a blinding display, each bolt illuminating the black and grey perfectly, fractionally, as jagged and mutable as the electricity they were made of.   
  
Chat raced ahead of her, baton extended, spinning in an endless circle to cut through the swarms of cursed butterflies descending upon the two. She took up the rear with her yo-yo, swinging it in frantic, precise, arcs, purifying the akuma as quickly as her partner could knock them aside. This was something they were used to- the motions of defeat and capture, beat down and purify- they had it down to fine art, a song and dance with a beat drummed out by their feet pounding against Paris’ rooftops, their hearts racing in time with their movements, the sharp swish of Chat’s baton and the zip and whir of her miraculous yo-yo expertly flying.    
  
Three years and they had only grown stronger together, more important to one another. They were as one entity in battle; creation and destruction, Lady Luck and her Cat of Misfortune.   
  
A bolt of lightning flashed off in the distance, hitting the roof of some nameless building, and throwing a silhouette against Chat Noir, light glinting off the black leather of his suit and bathing him, for a split second, in a warm glow which haloed around the edges of his body, bending and blending the rays with the golden silk of his hair. An image, Ladybug was certain, that should not fill her with warmth given the situation, but seeing Chat, running headlong into danger for what they both hoped- prayed- would be the last time reminded her just how much she needed her partner. Goofy and flirtatious, and one of the most unfailingly kind and loyal people she had ever met- never hesitating to throw himself in harm’s way for the sake of their mission, always ready to comfort the victims when all was said and done. Chat was….astounding.   
  
There was no else in the world that she would rather have watching her back.   
  
Chat extended his weapon and vaulted to the next roof, Ladybug close behind him, still capturing every akuma she could on the way. If not for the magic of Ladybug’s costume, Marinette knew, she would have passed the point of exhaustion long ago. As it was, she was filled with adrenaline, supernaturally-fueled strength and stamina, and the determination to end Hawkmoth’s years-long campaign of terror. He couldn’t be allowed to escape this time; she wouldn’t allow him.   
  
This would be the end of Hawkmoth.   
  
Her feet touched down on the rooftop seconds behind her partner.   
  
Would it be end of her partnership with Chat Noir as well? After all, without Hawkmoth terrorizing Paris and trying to steal her and Chat’s 

, there would be no real need for Paris to have superheroes any longer. When they defeated Hawkmoth, saved the day one last time, would it be time for her to hang up Ladybug’s spots and slip quietly back into her daily role as clumsy, 

Marinette? Would her Kitten do the same? Would he put away the claws and ears, stash his worst puns for a rainy day, and go back to being his civilian self full-time, whoever that may be?

  


   A sudden fear struck through the spotted heroine, and it had nothing to do with the battle at hand.    
  
She would be more than happy to take down Hawkmoth and free the kwami under his command, but the thought of never seeing Chat again made her heart clench cold with dread she couldn’t quite explain. It wasn’t like they 

to retire, right? Her role as Ladybug had become a part of her identity, and so had that ridiculous kitty cat. She was no longer just Marinette- she was Marinette, superheroine-extraordinaire Ladybug, and Ladybug wasn’t complete without Chat Noir. 

wasn’t complete without Chat Noir.    
  
She was scared, yes, but not of the fighting.

  
The end is what terrified her. What if this was the last time they saw each other as they were in this moment, side by side and ready to take on the world together?    
  
A new cloud of akuma rose up, heading towards the duo with the malevolent thrum of their black and purple wings. There were so many of them that the flapping could be heard even above the thunder booming and rolling through the air. Hawkmoth was clearly doing his best to tire them out before the final face-off.   
  
She looked towards her partner who shifted restlessly on his feet and grumbled none too enthusiastically, “Wish these things would just bug off.”    
  
Still making puns- that was a good thing. 

  


As the swarm began to converge upon them, they moved to stand back to back, covering each other’s openings with practiced ease. The cloud of sickly akuma began to block out even the flashes of lightning in the landscape. Hawkmoth had found their position a while ago and would not relent- even now, high on the rooftops of Paris, they were running from monsters and monstrous butterflies alike. 

  
Once upon a time she would have cowered from this view. She would have trembled, hesitated, and turned the other direction, calling for someone more capable, braver, and with confidence. Now though, she stands her ground, knees bent in preparation for action, eyes narrowed, and yo-yo spinning at her side in a red blur. Her partner behind her in a similar pose, readying himself for the coming onslaught.   
  
Now, she was Ladybug and all that came with being Her. She’d grown up in the past few years, her responsibilities as a hero making certain of that. Marinette had built herself into the kind of person that the her of three years ago would be calling out to take over for her. She didn’t want to run, couldn’t even entertain the vaguest notion of it. The final battle was here; just her and Chat Noir against Hawkmoth and all his evils. They would defeat him because they needed to. They wouldn’t lose this battle, nor would she allow them to lose one another.    
  
Ladybug and Chat Noir were a pair, and always would be- masks be damned. As soon as the fight was over, she would tell him who she was. She didn’t have room left in her for hesitation and second-guesses. She would make certain that the only thing ending on this day was Hawkmoth.

  


Akuma were crawling and flying all over the city, wreaking havoc and chasing after the heroic duo. The only way to stop a group this size was to go straight to the source.   


The sheer number of akuma was overwhelming, but she didn’t care; her job was to purify them, turn them back into innocent white and gentle flutters, and that is exactly what she did, weapon gleaming with its strange magic as she whipped it as quickly as she superhumanly could.    
Chat blocked and swatted akuma her way with all the energy of an elementary schooler at the batting cages. They couldn’t afford to waste their main attacks and have to wait for their transformations to charge; time was racing against them.   
  
Every akuma they didn’t deal with immediately was an akuma on its way to affect another human and turn them into a monster.   
  
A scant minute later and the swarm was dealt with. They turned in the direction the swarm had come from. Paris’ most famous landmark loomed ahead.    
  
Ladybug sighed, “Of course it’s the Eiffel tower, it’s 

the Eiffel tower.”

“If nothing else, you have to admire this guy’s showmanship.” Chat Noir joked, but it fell flat as she glanced at her partner and saw his grim countenance, lips thinned and eyebrows furrowed. They were both panting from the effort of fending off constant attacks.

  


Ladybug laid a reassuring hand on Chat’s shoulder, standing beside him as they looked out over their hometown, The City of Lights in utter chaos as sirens blared, and monsters ran around crushing cars and storefronts all along the Seine, looking for Paris’ heroes. However, their city was still familiar, still remaining resilient.    
  
“We’re doing this, Chat. We’ll beat Hawkmoth once and for all and fix everything. He’ll never be able to do this to Paris ever again.”    
  
The leather-clad boy reached a claw tipped hand up and grasped Ladybug’s hand within his own and squeezed lightly, “We’re doing this,” he echoed, “We have to.”   
  
“Paris won’t need us anymore soon.” The superheroine whispered, unsure if she was proud or sad.   
“Paris will always be in need of heroes, My Lady. With or without masks.” Chat pulled their interlaced hands from his shoulder, mildly surprised that Ladybug had not taken it back yet.

  
“Ladybug, listen, I-”

  
“Kitten, look, we should-”

  
They began at the same time, pausing when they realized they were speaking over one another.   
  
Ladybug looked down at their connected hands, “You can go first, Chat”

  
Suddenly unsure of himself, the blond shifted his weight, “Ladies first, I insist.”   
  
Ladybug looked up, azure eyes staring into Chat’s emerald orbs, searching for something. Reassurance, perhaps? He tried his best to give it to her, squeezing her hand once more and smiling softly.   
  
“Chat,” she began, slowly, “When this is all over, things aren’t going to be the same. We won’t need to be Chat Noir and Ladybug anymore, or at least, not as much. Our mission is to defeat Hawkmoth, and we’re about to do that. We’ll do that, and then what will we do? I 

Ladybug- being her is a part of me that I will never be able to let go no matter how much or how little I may transform from here on out. Being Ladybug is something I won’t ever forget- being your partner is something I won’t ever forget, and I don’t want that to end between us.”   
  
He held his breath, unwilling to move even a muscle and interrupt what he thought, was hoping beyond hope about what she was saying.   
  
“What I mean is...with Hawkmoth gone, there’s no danger in knowing who we are when we’re not...us..” She gestured downwards at their outfits with her free hand, the other still in an intimate embrace with Chat’s. “If you still want to..”   
  
If it weren’t for the seriousness of the situation, Chat was completely certain that he would be jumping and shouting in joy for all of Paris to hear. As it was, half of Paris was either akumatized, immobilized by the akuma, or in hiding, so Chat kept himself contained. He honestly never thought Ladybug would want to reveal herself to him- no matter how many grandiose daydreams he had about it- he always figured that he would accidentally find out or piece it together one day with the scraps of information that she had let slip over their years of partnership. 

  


Instead, he quietly let go of her hand and placed both his hands on her shoulders, gazing deeply into her eyes with barely contained emotion. 

  
“If you’re sure that’s what you want, My Lady?” She nodded fiercely, not breaking his gaze.   
  
Without any further ado, she was pulled tightly into a hug, her partner’s arms draped around her back, clutching her to him in a brief hug, his swishing tail betraying the true level of hs excitement.   
  
“Of course I do! I….It’s more than I could ever ask for..” He admittedly softly, stepping away from her before she got the chance to return the embrace. He wanted to stay there with her steady warmth in his arms, wanted to run his hands through her ribboned pigtails and imagine how the strands would feel without his gloves, wanted to kiss her and tell her he loved her just in case he never got the chance to again. He wanted to, but he didn’t.   
  
Ladybug felt a sense of disappointment at the loss of contact, covering it up with a saucy smirk.   
“Well then, Kitty, we better not waste any more time. We have a moth to crush!”   
  
She turned away from the leather-suited hero with a wink, and then with a running start, flung her yo-yo out and swung forward, a leap closer to the final showdown years in the making. Lightning flashed, hiding the string of the yo-yo and making it appear as if she was truly an angel of justice flying through the air.

  


Adrien felt his heart pound with an echoing rumble of the thunder in the moments after the light.

Whoever was behind that mask, he 

that girl.

  


The blond swallowed thickly and leapt after her, Ladybug’s silent shadow, claws at the ready like always. Nothing would harm her if he had any say in it. More than him, more than anything or anyone else, Ladybug had to be protected, had to succeed. He would make sure of it.

  


Ahead of him, the heroine was struggling with an akuma victim, the days of fancy powers, complicated motives, and long-winded speeches were long gone. Hawkmoth had become desperate the more they closed in on him; this akuma was little more than a large, writhing mass of negative energy, shadowy and grotesque, and wanting nothing more than to destroy Ladybug by any means necessary. The girl jumped high into the air, tucking her legs in and somersaulting, before extending them and landing square on the akuma’s face.

  


The akuma roared in pain, a shrieking, rattling cry which sunk down into Chat Noir’s bones and made his hackles rise. It reared back and swung at Ladybug, narrowly missing her as she backflipped off of the inky creature. Before he knew it, he was racing forward with a hiss screeching through his clenched teeth, sweeping his baton at swirling darkness he figured was the akuma’s legs. It struck true and the monster wailed once more, falling back onto the building with a ground shaking thump. Ladybug gave him a nod and held out her arm as she twirled her  yoyo and wrapped it around a flagpole on the next building over.

  


Chat Noir grabbed her hand swiftly and they flew. He extended his weapon just as the winded monster made its way to it’s feet. A satisfying smack was heard, followed by an angry roar. Chat smirked. There may be hundreds of these monsters roaming Paris at the moment, but none of them were too bright.

  


The owner of the black cat miraculous glanced above him at the girl holding his arm and swinging them through the skies and he fell a little bit more in love, just as he did every time he looked at her. After all this time, it was still so easy, and he suspected that it would be that way for the rest of his life if she would have him.

  


Lightning flashed, illuminating her expression; grim and determined, devoted to her duty, his shining lady, and something was so right about that image to him, with himself right behind her, never in her shadow, no. He was her shadow, her partner, a constant presence in battle, following her lead from the start, always chasing her light. The only thing he wish he could change was her troubled expression, he wanted more than anything to gather her up in his arms again and never let her go, not until he could give her a million reasons to smile. But they had a mission to finish, a city to protect, and identities still under wraps. There was a long way to go just yet.

  


Those thoughts were wiped from his mind as Ladybug swooped down quickly,  using their combined momentum to throw him straight into the next onslaught of butterflies and transformed victims. 

  


He crashed feet first onto the wing of a shadowy bird-like akuma, tucking into himself and tumbling down the gigantic, feathery appendage to break his fall. His Lady landed on another shadowy mass, wrapping her arms around it in a chokehold before throwing her weight back and flipping the monster over her. Chat scrambled to his feet and readied his weapon, jabbing and swatting, kicking and clawing his way around the gathered monsters and infected butterflies as Ladybug began to purify the loose insects. The humans already possessed would have to wait until Hawkmoth was defeated to be turned back. 

  


The shadowy bird, a gigantic mash of what looked like a pterodactyl and a crow with mange, squawked loudly and advanced, bony forearms scuttling swiftly on the rooftop cement as it galloped towards him, beak wide open, revealing a mouth full of razor sharp points it looked eager to try out.

  


His ears flattened against his hair as he narrowed his eyes and widened his stance, knees bent, bracing.

  


The monster snapped its jaws, narrowly missing Chat Noir’s face. He swiftly dodged by bending backwards and shoving his baton horizontally into the creature’s mouth, pushing until it hit the back of it’s mouth. 

  


It tried to bite down but met only magically reinforced steel. It reared back, trying to escape, but Chat pushed forward relentlessly, keeping it incapable of using its teeth.   
  
“Don’t you know it’s the cats that hunt the birds?” Chat joked through gritted teeth as he struggled with the squirming thing..    
  
Panic reared up inside the creature and it began scrambling backwards to get away from the indestructible metal inside it’s mouth.     
  
The hero did his best to keep up with the bird monster’s pace, leading it to the edge of the building. Just a bit more.    
  
Chat Noir strained, shoving back until its back legs slipped off of the edge of the building and its powerful claws dug into the rooftop.    
  
Just as it was about to fall over the edge, Ladybug’s yo-yo wound around its neck, yanking it back, He turned behind him to see Ladybug braced on the roof, pulling at the other end of the string.    
“Good catch, Chaton! We could use the transport!” That wasn’t his intention, but he decided to roll with it, and set himself to pulling on the weapon inside the monster’s mouth instead, helping his Lady pull the bird akuma back onto the roof.    
  
Once it was on stable ground, Ladybug twisted the string in her hands and jumped high into the air, landing on the akuma’s back and yanking the string firmly, reigning in the struggling monster.   
  
She gestured upwards, “Come on, Chat Noir! We have a moth to swat!” 

He nodded, “Coming, My Lady!” and attempted to pull his baton out of the akuma’s jaws. He tugged and tugged, but the akuma had clamped down on it tightly, refusing to release it.    
Chat glared at the monster, “I said, let go!” and kicked upwards, his heavy boot connecting soundly with the sensitive under-jaw. The akuma squawked and dropped his weapon. He picked it off the ground gratefully, delicately flicking the saliva off of it before jumping to join Ladybug on top of the akuma. Chat Noir placed his hands firmly on her shoulders   
  
She tugged her makeshift reins and the monster began to gallop. With a rush of air they were off.

Ladybug smiled almost ruefully, “This brings back memories, doesn’t it, Chat?”

  


“That time with the dragon, Bugaboo?”

  
“Do you make a habit of riding on flying monsters without me?”    
Chat chuckled, “Of course not! Near-death experiences are never fun without you there to catch me.” He squeezed her shoulders, lightly, meaningfully.   
  
High above the city of lights, the destruction and chaos became even more evident, even in the darkened, stormy state their beloved city was currently in. Where quiet peace should be was terror, where sunlight should be was clouds, where happiness should be was fear.

  


Cars were toppled and crushed, sometimes right in half, storefronts were shattered and displays ruthlessly torn apart, pieces of sidewalk were ripped from the ground and strewn about, and sirens were blaring all over the city. Car alarms, police sirens, the disaster alerts, ambulances, firetrucks, and store alarms, all blended together to make a horrifying melody of destruction. Add into that the numerous, hulking, masses of shadow moving around the city, the swarms of cursed butterflies flying around and poisoning the hearts of panicked citizens, and the acrid smell of fear and lightning in the air, and Paris painted a perfect picture of a fantastical nightmare.    
  
That was going to change.   
  
Soon there would be no more Hawkmoth to manipulate hurting hearts.    
  
They were headed to the Eiffel tower to end it once and for all.

“Chat Noir, hold him!” Ladybug shouted at her partner. The leather-clad hero nodded and pulled the red and black rope tighter around their opponent. The Lucky Charm was pretty straightforward this time, for such a complicated battle. 

  


Making it to Hawkmoth was the easy part compared to the herculean task it was to make actual contact with the villain. He was well protected by a literal army of akuma out for blood. However, an army of nearly mindless monsters meant little to the duo when they had so much at stake.   
  
The fight had moved from atop the Eiffel tower to the streets below. 

  
They eventually got close enough to fight him personally, and knock his weapon, a cane used in a not entirely dissimilar way to Chat’s baton, out of his grasp.

  


Ladybug dashed forward, painted red and black, like the rope, coiled tight and unrelentless. She grasped ahold of the elaborate pin on his suit and tore it away from him with all of the fury and desperation she could muster in her young soul.

  


Black glitter and light flashed.

  


In the end, Hawkmoth was only human. Much like the akuma he made, a monster turned so by his own grief and pain. It was almost sad to see, but after three years and countless battles, as the transformation fell away and left only a tired, angry man, all the heroes could feel was relief.    
  
Their shoulders sagged as they let out their breathes in unison, the tension slowly melting away from their bodies.    
  
An exhausted, tiny purple creature flew out from the disconnected miraculous. It looked sad and full of guilt as it flew up to Ladybug’s face. Chat busied himself with unwinding the rope from Hawkmoth. Without his miraculous, he was hardly a threat to anyone at all, but Chat Noir kept a tight hold on his arms twisted behind his back, not about to let him escape before the police could decide what to do with him.

  


Already, butterflies were fading to white and then disappearing all together. Those infected by the butterflies all over the city were being released, left standing dazed and confused in places and positions they couldn’t remember getting into. 

  


The purple kwami looked at Ladybug remorsefully.   
“I am Nooroo, the Butterfly kwami.” He introduced himself. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stop him. Thank you, Ladybug.” 

  
Nooroo bowed to her, then turned in mid-air, catching the inquisitive green eyes of Chat Noir, and bowed to him as well. “Thank you both. Please give me to the Guardian.” He turned back to the spotted heroine after casting a lingering, mournful, look at his failed champion. He couldn’t stop the man, nor could he help him, no matter how he tried, and Nooroo would always regret that.

  
The tiny kwami then flew down and settled himself back into his miraculous, a butterfly shaped pin.

  


Ladybug blinked away the tears swimming in the corners of her eyes, and picked up the discarded coil of rope, throwing it into the air with a sense of finality.

  
“Miraculous Ladybug!”    
  
Swarms of ladybugs, awash in the warmth of magic, appeared, racing to every person and place affected by the akuma. Sidewalks were fixed, storefront displays once more became immaculate, cars were fixed and righted, and injuries were soothed away by the gentle bugs.   
  
The police arrived with sirens and flashing lights, taking the shellshocked Hawkmoth into custody. He hadn’t said a word since his miraculous was taken from him. He simply stared into the distance, looking for all of the world like one of his victims if they didn’t know better. Ladybug and Chat Noir watched him go silently, hoping that he could be helped somehow, someway, overcome the pain which twisted his motives and made him abuse his powers.    
  
Ladybug heard the scuff of boots on asphalt and felt a clawed hand settle on her shoulder as she watched the police car with Hawkmoth in it drive away, Nooroo’s pin clutched protectively to her chest.    
  
“It’s over now, Ladybug.” There was an odd note to his voice, something relieved and full of tension at the same time.

  


“It is, isn’t it, Chat?” Somehow, she knew, that the same odd note was in her voice as well, and she struggled with herself to continue to speak. “It’s been so long now, I can hardly believe it myself.” She turned to her partner, his hand falling away from her shoulder, only to be immediately enveloped in a crushing embrace, her face buried in warm leather.    
  
It was only then that she realized she was shaking. Wrapped up in his arms, she discovered, so was Chat. Light trembles ran through his arms and chest as he held her. She brought her arms around the other teen and did the only thing she knew how to at the moment; she clung just as tightly to him.

  
“Chat, Chat, Chat-” she repeated, whispering into his chest. “We won, we won…” 

  


“We did, My Lady, we did it, we won.” He whispered back, warm breath tickling her ear. 

  
The shaking subsided as they embraced each other in the middle of the street, the skies of Paris once more turning a clear, bright blue as the last of Hawkmoth’s storm was purified, whisked away by the magic of the Miraculous Ladybug. The citizens of Paris were beginning to move, akuma victims shaking off their fugue, and those in hiding filtering out from their barricaded homes and makeshift shelter in cafés and museums.   
  
Ladybug clutched all the harder to Chat Noir, with Hawkmoth gone, not truly knowing when they will see each other after this. 

  
“Chat,” she breathed, savoring the sound his name made.

  
“Yes, My Lady?” he asked, running a hand carefully across her hair.

  
“Thank you.” Chat blinked in surprise.

  
“For what?”

  
“For being there, for being my partner, I-I-.....honestly couldn’t ask for a better one. You’re my best friend, Kitty.”

  
His expression instantly softened- Ladybug never failed to make him feel appreciated. He grinned slyly, and with laughter in his voice, mumbled into her ear, “I guess you could say I’m the cat’s meow, eh, Bugaboo?”    
  
Her expression instantly pinched up at the joke. 

  
“I’m being serious, here.”

  
“So am I.”

  


Chat sighed, dropping his face into the crook of Ladybug’s neck. “You’re amazing, Ladybug, just amazing.”

  
“W-wh-.....” 

She was going to say, but, she stopped herself because she figured she already knew, somehow, that he was thanking her as well. 

  
“You’re amazing, incredible, clever...you…” Chat Noir pulled his face from her shoulder, and looked into her eyes, bluer than the sky after a storm, “You..since the first time I met you, I thought you were incredible and brave and!-..” he took a deep, steadying breath, “Since the first akuma we defeated, I decided that it doesn’t matter who you are under the mask b-because no matter what you’re amazing and I love you!”

  


“Chat..” his partner whispered.

  


“Please listen, LB….it’s alright if you don’t love me in the same way, but before we say anything about our identities, I wanted to tell you. No matter who you are, no matter who I am, you’re still my best friend, Ladybug, and I still love you.”

  
“Oh Chat..It makes me so happy to hear that but....I-I’m 

Chat.” The spotted heroine dropped her arms from her partner and  looked at the ground, shoulders hunched, hands clutching the butterfly Miraculous. “I’m just a normal girl, with a normal life, and 

has been the biggest secret I’ve ever had. It’s hard to give it up.”

  
“With all due respect, My Lady, you’re a superhero, and that’s anything but 

.”

  
She blushed, okay, that wasn’t a good argument, she’d already had that one with herself multiple times and lost every single one of them. She didn’t even want to argue, she wanted to tell him, wanted to know who he was in return, but she wasn’t lying; it was the biggest secret she’d ever had to give up, and it was difficult to work up the courage to do so

.   
“I’m clumsy!”

  
“I’ll catch you when you fall.” he countered.

  
“I-I play video games too much!”

  
“I love video games, “ He leaned in, their noses almost touching, and grinned, “And I love you.”   
God, it felt 

to say that. 

  
Ladybug blushed deeper, a red flush creeping up on her cheeks faster than she could fly through the air with her yo-yo.

  
“I don’t like your jokes!”

  
“That’s a lie- my jokes are fantastic.”

  


“...Are you sure you want to know?” she asked, finally.

  
“Are you sure you want to tell me?”    
  
She was quiet for a moment, then steeled her expression, “Yes! Kitty, more than anything, you should know!”    
  
“Ladybug!” a voice shouted, gleefully.   
  
The heroes whipped their heads toward the voice, a Parisian with a camera mounted on their shoulder, red recording light blinking. Other voices joined in, shouting hers and Chat’s names with uncontained excitement.   
  
“Ladybug, can we have an interview?!”    
  
Her earrings began to beep. 

  


She looked at her partner, panicked, they weren’t within hearing range yet, she could still tell him!   
“Chat, I’m-” 

  
“Ladybug, Ladybug!”

  
“Chat Noir! Paris’ heroes!”

  
“Ladybug! An interview?!”  The voices mixed and slurred, a cacophony of shouts and cheers which drowned out all other words, all other thoughts. She could feel their eyes on her, joyful, thankful, hopeful, but for once, she did not face the crowd, for once, she did not want to see them, smile and wave and reassure them. For once, she just wanted to be alone with Chat, to whisper her secrets to him in the quiet of the evening.    
  
All of Paris was shouting for them, it seemed. All of Paris was shouting, and cameras were rolling, and her earrings were beeping.    
“I’m...Chat, I’m.. I’m 

she choked on the last word, throat dry and tight, and she could feel hot tears well up in her eyes. “I can’t- not here- not now, I want you to know, I want you to know, but I 

she stepped back, needing to leave right away.   
  
Chat desperately caught her hand, “My Lady!? I understand, but please, where can I find you?”    
  
The beeping became more frantic, and experience told her she had less than a minute to get away. She tore her hand from his, tears on her cheeks as she did so.

  


“I don’t have 

“Ladybug!” Chat cried out with a pained expression. She was leaving, she was leaving and he didn’t know who she was-

  
“I have to go!” she shouted, running away from the crowd as quickly as she could, zipping away on her yo-yo.

-gone.

  


Gone, gone, gone, and he still didn’t know her name, still didn’t know how she felt. He loved her, he’d finally said it, and Ladybug hadn’t rejected him, but she hadn’t accepted him, either. His heart thumped loudly, painfully, in his chest. He didn’t know how she felt, and she was gone. He didn’t know her name, didn’t know how to find her, didn’t know how to find the girl that made ‘Ladybug’ come alive. His eyes began to sting, and he clenched his fists to stop himself from screaming. There were cameras rolling.

  
He forced himself to turn towards the crowd, smile, and reassure them. Yes, Hawkmoth was gone, yes, he and Ladybug defeated him, no, there would not be any more akuma, yes, Ladybug had to leave, no, he couldn’t promise them an interview with her.

  


He got away from the crowd as soon as he could, a headache pounding through his head. He was too nauseous to speak to them any longer. 

  


When would he see her again? Hawkmoth was gone, Paris wouldn’t need magical superheroes any longer. Ladybug always took her duties as a hero seriously, to her, it was a job, something she had to do- something she no longer had to do. He wanted to believe that they’d find a way, that their time together wouldn’t become nothing but memories and distant echoes of adventures. He wanted to believe, but../

  


He had watched her swing away with his heart, and had the sinking feeling he’d never see Ladybug again.   
  
That night, he searched the streets of Paris until dawn looking for any sign of ribboned pigtails and ladybug spots.   
  
He found nothing.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> Honestly, the song was a HUGE influence to the idea of this fic, but the biggest influence from the song were the opening lines: "What if this storm ends/and I don't see you/as you are now/ever again?" - which I think encompasses such a desperate feeling of not wanting your time with someone to end, even if that time is during a difficult period of your life, which I wanted to (and hope I kind of succeeded?) portray.
> 
> I can be found at thatwasyoursoupipoisoned on tumblr, or mermakoto on twitter!


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